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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bank — for money
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rash — hasty
  5. present — the time now
  6. capital — money
  7. present — there
  8. bank — of a river
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bore — to tire
  12. shower — rain
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rash — a series
  19. chest — of your body
  20. capital — a city
  21. present — a gift
  22. chest — a box
  23. bank — for money
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com